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| Alex Eala made an early exit in the Australian Open women's singles. AP |
QUEZON CITY--Alex Eala could not complete a demolition job and fell prey to Alycia Parks in her first Australian Open match on Monday at Melbourne Park.
Eala, who entered at number 49 in the WTA rankings, seemed to have sent a strong message to the world number 99 Parks after completing a 6-0 sweep of Set 1.
However, Parks forced Set 2 when she broke a 3-3 tie with three straight game wins, and in the deciding period, the American completed the reverse with a dominating performance.
In a match that saw Parks committing 10 double faults and falling to the brink of a break point 17 times, Eala could not capitalize as she only completed four break points.
Parks also showed her powerful yet pinpoint service as she converted 12 aces compared to only one from Eala.
Eala's stint in the first grand slam event of the year is not yet over as she will team up with Ingrid Martins in a doubles clash against Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama on Tuesday.
If Eala and Martins fail to make it to Week 2 of the Australian Open, the floor is open for the former to come back home and join the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
